Shrine - Still in Progress

New shrine sculpture! Still in progress, but I'm really excited about it so far. I think I might frame the print and lean it against the wall, though I'm not sure. Also, brightly colored vigil candles are going underneath the desk, which the viewer will be encouraged to light with long matches.

Any suggestions?

Also, check out 'Album' by Girls. It's so fucking amazing.

Renewal Lease / Shrine Image

Renewal Lease, 20 x 24", Digital C-Print (for now), 2009.

This is going on top an elementary school desk my neighbors Jeremy and Luis gave me yesterday, possibly with vigil candles or wilting flowers. I can't wait to see this one come together!

Shrine: Bag of Potting Soil.

Shrine: Bag of Potting Soil, 2009. Not sure what medium or size I will print this as yet.

Rough scan of new 4x5 image, to be used in a shrine sculpture. I was originally only going to shoot black & white until I got used to my 4x5 again, then switch to color film, but now I'm really enjoying b & w. I think the black & white images memorialize the objects I'm photographing in a way that color images just can't. It puts the object visually in the past, while at the same time adding an extra level of distance between the object, the camera, and the viewer. I may still work with color for some images, but right now I think black & white makes alot of sense. Anyone disagree?

FIRST SHRINE

This is the first physical Shrine I've made, which I was working on yesterday. It still feels unresolved to me, but I think I'm happy with where it's going. Any thoughts? I'm totally a fan of suggestions. I was thinking vigil candles instead of incense? I like the smell of incense but the copper bowls feel puny.

I think I want the black & white photographs to be digital gelatin silver prints, rather than digital c-prints. The wall behind the dvd's looks slightly sepia toned to me and I think it's because it's a C-Print. Is there a way to correct that while still maintaining paper consistency?

New 4x5 Shrine Images!

So for the longest time I didn't have a tripod and couldn't use my 4x5. Then my friend Sam, who I went to Purchase with a few years ago, let me borrow an old Manfrotto he had lying around that he wasn't using after I bumped into him on the subway, and I've since been back in love with my 4x5. These are my two favorites from some recent stuff I've been shooting. More to come as I get things developed. I'm thinking I'm going to use these within various sculptures, using photographic elements to create physical shrines rather than re-photographing shrines I make in my kitchen. I really like the idea of experiencing a photograph in overtly physical ways, like looking at a photograph and associating a scent with it, or lighting a series of candles in front of it.

The Things I Once Owned

Shrine: Unfinished Glass of Wine. 20 x 20", Digital C-Print, 2009.

The Things I Once Owned

Shrine: Muscle Milk, Father & Son Snapshot. 20 x 20", Digital C-Print, 2009.

The Things I Once Owned

Shrine: Unopened Birthday Candles. 20 x 20", Digital C-Print, 2009.